Chicago always starts slow. Cleveland will win 50+. Orlando will win 50+. New Jersey will come around. Milwaukee has a healthy Redd and Yi looks like he can make an impact this season. Miami's getting Wade back, which will take some pressure off Shaq. Once Gilbert wakes up, I think Washington will rebound. Hell, I think the Knicks could even sneak up and take a playoff spot. Granted, the East won't be as strong as the West, especially up top, but I think all the East playoff teams could finish with winning records.
its called evolution.... look up the standings from 10-12 years ago, the east was dominate over the west. i'd say the west started to gain ground, when Shaq jumped ship to LA from Orlando and everything else followed, Kidd going to the Suns during his prime, Webber going to Sacramento, and the young guns developed in Dirk, Nash, Kobe, Duncan, and Yao.
Ya...the Easter Conference just gained a powerhouse team when KG went to the Celtics. But for now...it's no comparison, the East is a joke.
I think to accurately gauge the relative strengths of the conferences, we're going to need to see how the interconference records shape up. If there is a huge disparity in records like last year, then the point is valid. But if the Eastern Conference has about a .500 record at the end of the year vs. the West, then we can say that the disparity may have gone away (there are always mitigating factors such as one team having an amazing record vs. the opposing conference, etc.).
The East needs is a couple more above average powerhouse teams like Boston then they can be par with the West. Right now I only see 1 team that Maybe could contend with the west for a championship. As for the West We have at least 4 that could contend for the championship: San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix, and of course Houston. These 4 teams are pretty much what makes the West so strong. I can honestly see the East gaining back on the West in 4-5 years.
